


District 9

by Kyra_Bane



Category: Captain America (Movies), Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Community: mission_insane, M/M, Slow Burn, You know this'll have more pairings by the time I'm through, not complete
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-20 19:24:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6022000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyra_Bane/pseuds/Kyra_Bane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's not fair," Stevie said, his voice pitched low and Bucky squeezed his eyes tight before he opened them. He moved and Stevie lifted his head, turned to look at him with a question on his face.</p><p>"You gotta promise me," Bucky said, "You gotta promise you won't do anythin' stupid when I'm gone."</p><p>Hunger Games Fusion - Steve is chosen as tribute, but Bucky takes his place - drama ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's to hoping I update this semi-regularly! Couldn't get this idea out of my head though, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. :D

"I volunteer!"

There were no gasps of surprise; practically no noise at all, actually, and Bucky closed his mouth, not even really aware of having opened it. He'd seen Stevie's head whip around out of the corner of his eye - he could feel a red-hot glare on the side of his face but he stood still, ramrod-straight, until the Peacekeepers came and guided him out of the crowd. 

That was when he turned his head and sought Sarah in the crowd to his right. Her eyes were rimmed red, and even as she mouthed _thank you_ she started crying. One of the other women put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Stevie was safe for another year, and Bucky knew she was grateful, but he knew she was torn that it was him who had taken her son's place.

He didn't look at Stevie until he was up on the stage. Pepper reached into the bowl for the name of the female tribute and Bucky couldn't avoid his stare any longer - he met Stevie's eyes and Stevie wasn't crying, but he looked furious. 

Bucky lifted his eyes, looked somewhere to the back of the crowd, and tried to tune it all out, but he felt his heart break a little when twelve-year-old Nancy had to climb up on stage beside him, visibly trembling. He'd saved one person today and by God, if he could, he'd save two - but he didn't know if that would be possible. Still, he looked to her and offered her a tentative smile, which stopped her from bursting into tears. It hadn't sunk in for her yet. It would.

 

They were directed into small antechambers in the mayor's residence; cold, airy rooms that saw no life anymore, except for this day, once a year. Bucky clenched and unclenched his fists, resisting the urge to destroy everything. They wouldn't let Stevie see him if he did. Instead, he paced, wondering if he'd have enough time to wear down this pretentious, overpriced rug.

Pretentious was a word Stevie had taught him. It wasn't that he was an idiot; Stevie was small and weak, too weak to work the fields at least, which meant days spent inside, reading or drawing or doing whatever else he did to fill the time while Bucky and his ma were working. Bucky flopped down onto the couch, frowning at the softness of the cushions. He hoped they would be okay - but they had each other. They'd be fine, no matter what happened.

The door opened and Bucky turned his head so fast he thought he'd pulled something. Sarah stepped inside and the door closed behind her - Bucky's stomach plummeted to somewhere near his feet. 

"Is he…?"

"He's coming, Bucky," she said softly and sat next to him, taking his hand. "He needs a minute, I think-" She looked at him with wet eyes and Bucky noticed her hands were shaking. "Thank you," she whispered. "I know- I'm sorry, but thank you."

Bucky shook his head and pulled her into a hug, resting his head on her shoulder the way he had when he was a boy, after his family had died, one by one, and he'd been left behind. Sarah had taken him in and treated him like one of the family - and he knew it was tearing her apart, that he was going, but he knew that she was sensible, too. Stevie never stood a chance. Bucky might. 

"Don't worry about it," he said, pulling back and grinning. "I'll be fine, y'know. I've gotta get back here, I know that."

Sarah was crying now, silent tears that tracked down her face as she pushed Bucky's hair back from his forehead. He wore it longer this time of year; harvest time meant long days and no time to worry about his appearance. "You're a good person, Bucky," she said. "And no matter what, no one here will forget that." 

He nodded and she hugged him again. When they parted this time, she wasn't crying anymore and he watched as she pulled herself back together, piece by piece. "Don't worry about us now," she said almost sternly. "Focus on you."

"I will," Bucky said, though they both knew he was lying. Nancy was in the next room and Bucky could imagine her now, shaking and crying and not really fully anticipating what was going to happen in her immediate future. He swallowed thickly and Sarah put her hand on his shoulder. 

She didn't say anything more before she left the room, the click of the door seeming to echo in Bucky's mind. There was nothing more to say. _May the odds be ever in your favour_ , came to mind, but the odds were stacked against him - them. They were poor and hungry and sure, Bucky was strong, but he didn't think that would be enough.

Stevie wasn't quiet, for all his small size. He slammed the door shut behind him and glared at Bucky, arms crossed across his chest. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded and it was so _expected_ , so _typical_ , that Bucky had to suppress the sudden urge to cry.

"Doin' what I always do," Bucky replied sullenly, turning his back on Stevie to look out of the window. The square sat in front of the mansion, but the fields rolled out behind, all clear now and ready for winter. The factories were quiet. The mornings were getting colder.

Stevie sat on the couch beside him, anger still radiating from him, but tempered by a sudden nervousness that Bucky could feel from where he was sitting. "You shoulda let me go," Stevie said, voice smaller than Bucky had ever heard it. "You shouldn'ta said anything."

Bucky turned to look at him then, grinned in the face of those burning baby blues. "That was never gonna happen."

Stevie scowled but even he seemed to realise there was no point in arguing now - what was done was done. It had been broadcast to the Capitol. Bucky was going and Stevie was staying.

"When do you leave?"

"Soon, I guess."

Stevie swallowed and nodded, and then scooted over so he could rest his head on Bucky's shoulder. Bucky stayed still; didn't put an arm around him or hold him close. He closed his eyes against the burn behind them and tried to think of what the weeks ahead would hold. All his privacy gone, for one thing. They'd dig up every little part of his past that they could and use it - either for or against him. Training and preparations. Then the games and Bucky shied away from that thought.

"I never really thought it'd be either of us," Stevie said and he wasn't looking at Bucky either. "I guess I hoped somehow we'd get through it; we'd make it to eighteen and that'd be it."

Bucky shook his head. Sarah would have to look after Stevie this year, would have to deal with his anger at the unfairness of it all - the games, the Capitol, the whole system- "There's no getting away with any of it, Stevie," he said quietly. "It is what it is, and we're a part of it."

"It's not _fair_ ," Stevie said, his voice pitched low and Bucky squeezed his eyes tight before he opened them. He moved and Stevie lifted his head, turned to look at him with a question on his face.

"You gotta promise me," Bucky said, "You gotta promise you won't do anythin' stupid when I'm gone."

Stevie shook his head. "I'm not promising that."

"You _gotta_ ," Bucky said. "I'm doin' this to keep you safe, you and your ma. She can't be worryin' about you all the time now. You gotta keep your head down and live your life." He bit back a curse at the stubbornness in Stevie's eyes. "Promise me that you'll do that, Stevie. You've only got one more reaping and then it's done. You can get married and have a family if you want, or not. But just stick it out for me, please."

There was a knock on the door - Bucky was surprised they hadn't just come in, but he supposed it meant there were a few seconds left.

"I'm not promising that," Stevie said and his voice was all hard steel, which was exactly what Bucky didn't want. 

"Stevie, I can't do this knowing you're not gonna be safe, that's the whole point-"

Stevie lurched forward and suddenly Bucky had a lap full of him and they were kissing and- _oh_. He put a shaking hand on Stevie's face to slow him down and it was warm, dry lips moving against his own, chest to chest and he could feel Stevie's heart hammering-

Stevie pulled back and he was blushing, but there was still steel in his eyes. "I'm not promisin' a family or any of that bullshit, Bucky," he said. "Not without you, got it?"

"Got it," Bucky said, breathless and surprised and he wanted to grin and cry at the the same time- "But be careful, _please_."

Stevie nodded at that and they were sitting apart when the door opened and the Peacekeepers entered. "Time's up," one said. "You've gotta go."

They both stood and Stevie smiled, a thin, tentative thing but it made the heat in Bucky's chest blossom. He'd thought about Stevie like that before, on quiet nights when the dark surrounded them, keeping his secrets, but he'd never once entertained the idea that Stevie would feel the same about him. Never.

"You're comin' back," Stevie said and Bucky nodded.

"Yeah, okay," he replied.

Stevie left and the Peacekeepers led Bucky out the other way, to the train, to where Pepper and Nancy and one of the previous victors, Maria, was waiting.

Nancy and Pepper climbed onto the train but Maria caught Bucky's elbow before he managed it. "Your boyfriend better be worth it," she said and her expression was dark.

Bucky shrugged. She let go and he climbed on the train, refusing to look back as they pulled away and left District 9 behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve thinks about Bucky. Bucky thinks about Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is a little later than I planned - basically because I was trying to shove a lot more plot into it than it wanted to take. So here is this kind of introspective chapter; but it'll step up in the next one with some more characters too, I promise!
> 
> I'm also going to ~try~ to update every Monday from here on out (I'll let you know if that's not going to be possible and what changes will be made) - so look out for that!

Steve watched helplessly as Bucky turned away from him, as the Peacekeepers indicated that Steve should leave, and he froze for a minute before he did, every cell in his body unsure as to how he should react. He wanted to hold Bucky tight and never let go; he wanted to fly at the Peacekeepers and attack them with all of his (inconsiderable) might; he wanted-

He wanted to take Bucky home, to trade kisses when his ma was out visiting a friend or after she'd gone to sleep. He wanted to be the subject of that heated gaze and he wanted- so much. 

He couldn't have it though, not any of it, so he left the mansion with his heart feeling like it was tearing straight down the middle. For all that he knew Bucky's strength, there was a reason that Maria was the only living winner from District 9. They had a tendency to be picked off early. 

Steve made his way back to the house, unsurprised to see his ma sitting on the porch, waiting for him. She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and managed a weak smile, holding out her arms. Steve didn't hesitate to hug her, to lean his head against her shoulder as he attempted to ignore the prickling behind his own eyes, the sobs that he was sure would rend him in two. 

"He'll be okay," his ma said, her mantra, and Steve wasn't sure if she was saying it to him or to herself. 

He pulled back a little and nodded. "He'll be okay," he said and his ma closed her eyes, tears still falling. 

They sat on the porch until sunset; there was no work on a reaping and even if there had been, Steve knew someone would have picked up the slack. As the sky began to streak with gold, Steve's ma got up and went into the house, pressing a kiss to her boy's head before she did. She'd make supper, he knew, and he could hear other families even from here. They tried to keep the noise down, of course; but then, they had something to celebrate. Safe until next year - or, well, safe forever now, for some. Until they had their own kids. 

It made Steve sick to his stomach, was the driving force behind his every tiny rebellion, but he knew there was nothing he could do to make a big change. He was too small, too sickly. Bucky had made him promise to not get into trouble, anyway. He had to keep that promise. At least for now. 

 

The train ride was mostly silent. Bucky kept half an eye on Nancy as she watched the scenery whip by, but Maria kept her eyes trained on him and Pepper was doing- something with the screen in her hands.

Bucky rolled his head to get a crick out of his neck and stood. Nancy instantly looked to him, and then around, but he just said, "There something to do on this thing?" 

"No," Maria replied and Pepper looked up from the device she had in her hands and rolled her eyes. 

"Yes, James," she said. "There are entertainment screens throughout the train; Maria or I can show you how to use them. There are also-" 

"The screens are fine," Bucky replied. It was a little harsh, but Pepper's expression never changed. Surprisingly, Bucky found that he didn't hate her. He hated the Capitol, hated what she stood for, but this woman had a soft smile and kind eyes and, although she didn't seem to be paying that much attention to them, clearly had things in hand. 

"I'll show him," Maria said and stood, the pair leaving Nancy with Pepper - who started to tell the girl a story to settle her a little. 

They walked down the train and into another room, which had a large screen that took up nearly a whole wall. Maria handed him a smaller one and he turned it over in his hands, not really sure what to do with it. 

"What do you want with it?" Maria asked.

"I wanna see footage from the previous games," Bucky replied. 

Maria laughed. "As if you haven't seen enough already."

"I need to watch some again," Bucky replied, eyes narrowing. "I'm not facing the same people, but they're from the same districts. If I can see patterns-" 

Maria frowned at him, but shrugged. "Fine," she said. She took the screen from him and messed with it. 

"Why'd you volunteer?" she asked after a moment, eyes still down. 

"Thought you'd already got an opinion on that," Bucky replied. 

Maria rolled her eyes and shoved the screen at Bucky. "Never mind," she said. It sounded like a curse. 

"I volunteered 'cause there's no way I'm watching Stevie die," Bucky replied. "You've seen him. He'd not last five minutes in the arena."

"And you will?"

"Maybe." 

Maria nodded at that. "Good," she said. "That's more realistic - and that's how you have to think. No visions of the end of the game, no fantasising about going home. Here and now, that's what's important." 

Bucky frowned. "That sounded almost helpful." 

"Yeah well, I am supposed to try and coach you guys through it." She looked in the direction of where they'd left Pepper and Nancy and her eyes softened. "I thought you were a cocky asshole," she said. "But you can't afford to be." 

"I know." 

"You know I won these games ten years ago this year?" 

Bucky remembered, in a vague kind of way. Mostly he remembered that Stevie had been really sick that year; it wasn't long after Bucky's ma had died and Sarah had taken him in, but Stevie was sick and she was harried and none of them had paid much attention to the games, not really. 

Maria shook her head. "Everything's on there," she said, suddenly brusque again and Bucky nodded, sinking down onto a chair. "I'll come get you when we've almost arrived."

She left and Bucky started the first video. The winner was from District 7, a skinny redheaded girl who was dangerous as hell with knives. Bucky looked at his own hands, calloused from years of working in the fields and factories. He wondered if he could try out a knife at some point. 

Her win was pretty straightforward, though she was sneaky. Kept to the shadows, which was pretty simple in a wooded arena and clearly worked right into her skill set. He went to the next video; he remembered last year's and the redhead had won it two years ago - so this was three years ago.

This winner was from District 5, a fifteen-year-old blond kid who was three times the size of most men twice his age. He used a heavy-looking hammer and, like the redhead, never hesitated. Bucky wasn't surprised that he had won, but there was something niggling him about the guy; something that he thought he should remember. 

He stopped trying to think about it. There was no point in doing anything but focussing on his movements, seeing what gave this kid the edge. His strength, obviously, which made Bucky frown. He didn't have that kind of physical power. No. He was going to have to think of something else.

He lost himself to the videos, doing nothing but watch the victors of the games, until the room grew dark around him and he looked up again with dry, tired eyes. Maria came back in and flicked the lights on. 

"We're nearly there," she said, her voice quiet. Bucky nodded. 

"I'll be out in a minute." 

Maria left and Bucky rubbed a hand over his face, putting the screen down on the cushion beside him. Stevie's face swam into his mind again and he pushed the image away before he held onto it; he'd done what he could. All watching the victors had done had shown him he didn't have enough: he wasn't well-trained, he wasn't freakishly strong, he wasn't driven by some kind of dark determination. If he had to step between someone ready to hurt Stevie and kill them, he could do it, no question - but this? 

It was so forced, so artificial. There was no real reason for them to kill each other, except that they'd been told to. Except for the unspoken threats that hung over everyone they'd left behind. Those threats were enough that Bucky would play this game - he'd run and hunt and, if the time came, he might do it, he might kill someone. But there wasn't enough in him to win it. 

He heard a noise on the other side of the door; Maria or Pepper or Nancy - and he thought of the girl, small even for a twelve-year-old, with big doe eyes and a soft expression.

He could always go out protecting someone, Bucky thought. For as long as he could, he'd keep an eye on her. Stevie would forgive him that.

**Author's Note:**

> Mission Insane prompt: Inspired by books - The Hunger Games.
> 
> Please leave kudos and/or a comment if you enjoyed! :)


End file.
